With their magic number down to two, it’s a fair bet the Yankees will be playing in the wild-card game on Tuesday, capping a late-September hot streak the heavy-duty haters never thought possible. But here the Bombers are, on the doorstep of another run for a championship. It might be the last go-around for the group called the Baby Bombers in 2017.
Feels like it’s been a million years. You don’t have to remind the Yankees what’s happened to them – or more precisely, what hasn’t happened - in the last five seasons. They’re in no mood to re-litigate the playoff disappointments. The Yankees have a shot now, a fairly decent one, considering how well they’re playing, including Thursday’s 6-2 wipeout of Blue Jays’ ace, Robbie Ray.
The win was a microcosm of everything the Bombers are capable of doing right, even against the American League’s presumptive Cy Young Award winner. The bullpen was lights out, the defense (finally) flawless that paired with a breathtaking display of power with four home runs. It all started with Aaron Judge’s massive home run in the first inning, putting Ray on notice for the rest of the night.
It’s no coincidence that Judge, with two blasts on the night, set the tone. While Giancarlo Stanton’s swing is both quick and violent, Judge’s moves are longer and more graceful, almost balletic. “A superstar in this league,” is what Anthony Rizzo called the slugger. “I sit back in the front row. It’s fun to watch.”
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None of this is an exaggeration - Judge carries himself as a leader. He is their catalyst, not Aaron Boone, not Stanton, not Gerrit Cole. There isn’t a better, more complete player on the roster, nor one who commands as much respect in the clubhouse.
Boone might be the manager, but he roots more than he leads. Stanton hits the ball farther, but he’d otherwise prefer to be left alone. And Cole, by definition, rules only once every five days and even that ratio has slipped this year.
No, it’s Judge who holds the key to the Yankees’ success this October. What he did to Ray could very well have been a dress rehearsal for Tuesday’s wild-card game. If it comes down to Yankees-Red Sox, substitute Ray for Chris Sale, another hard-throwing lefty with a winning pedigree.
If Judge helps take down Sale, not only does that open the door to the ultimate showdown with the Rays in the Division Series, it’ll cement Judge’s case for that long-term contact he’s been waiting for. Talk radio has obsessed over this topic for years, especially in the offseason. Judge, however, has never addressed it publicly.
When asked by the New York Post this week if the Yankees had opened a channel, even informally, the slugger said “no” and proceeded to put the onus directly on the Steinbrenner family.
“The ball is kind of in their court,’’ Judge said. “I’m just a player. I just do my job every day. I’m not going to go running to anybody and say, ‘Let’s talk about this.’ That’s their job to do. That’s what they get paid for. I’m getting paid to be out here on the field.”
While Judge’s comments were entirely neutral, notice he didn’t shut down the interview, either. He could have, especially with the post-season right around the corner. But I don’t blame him for allowing the question. Judge’s leverage keeps growing by the day.
He’s mostly stayed healthy in 2021, is playing Gold Glove defense even with a recently dislocated pinky and is putting up his best offensive numbers since 2017.
I wouldn’t call Judge this generation’s Derek Jeter – neither would he, for that matter – because the Yankees have yet to make it to the World Series on his watch, let alone win one. At his age (29), Jeter already had four rings. But no one since the Captain has been this kind of leader.
We’ll see what the next month brings for Judge and whether it’ll convince Hal Steinbrenner to finally empty the ATM. My guess is he will, but it won’t be any time soon. Neither the players nor the owners will make a move until a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is signed this winter, assuming a deal can even be forged.
The winds of labor war are slowing kicking up. The hardliners on both sides are talking about a lockout in 2022, which would be terrible news for the sport. A setback for Judge too.
But I’m also betting Judge is prepared to keep waiting and won’t make headlines doing so. What I noticed about Judge early on was how unaffected he was. Unlike Stanton, who dresses like a James Bond villain, Judge has always been fine with hoodies and jeans.
Even when he arrived in New York in 2016, Judge’s vibe was decidedly relaxed and unafraid. He told me that, because of his height and physique, being stared at by strangers had become routine early in his life.
“I always got those weird looks,” Judge said as he hit the streets of the Big Apple for the first time. “You can’t go anywhere in this city without people saying something. Being different prepared me for that. Now it’s just nothing to me. I say, ‘hey, what’s going on?’ instead of ‘you guys got a problem or something?’”
I think of that foundation now that Judge has become a star and one of the game’s ambassadors. Even now, not much gets under skin, including The Contract. First things first for Judge and the Yankees: they need to win a championship. As the players say, it’s go time.
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Bob Klapisch may be reached at bklapisch@njadvancemedia.com.
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